


Ceremony

by nerdypipsqueak



Series: Fictober 2020 [12]
Category: A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1990), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Introspection, M/M, Nervousness, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdypipsqueak/pseuds/nerdypipsqueak
Summary: Fictober prompt: I never wanted anything else.The wedding we have all been waiting for.
Relationships: Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi/T. E. Lawrence
Series: Fictober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970629
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	Ceremony

"Ned, you ready?" Clare calls to me from behind the door. The sound of her voice startles me, I find that I don't know what to tell her. This is the day I've been awaiting for months, the day I never hoped would come and yet... I don't know if I'm ready. No, that's not true. I _am_ ready to get married. I just never expected to be doing so in the public eye and with hardly any family present. Most of our guests are from Feisal's side, from my side only my father, Arnie, the Smiths, Nancy and Siegfried. I had known from the day we came out that it was going to be like this, that my mother and Bob would refuse to attend, that Frank and Will would be tied up in their own obligations. It still upsets me though, more so than I had expected, to the point of being unable to answer a simple question.

The door opens, in my peripheral I notice the swish of Clare's red dress. "Not getting cold feet, are you?"

"No no, I'm just..."

"Hey." She sits down on the carpet in front of me. "It's not exactly what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I don't want to sound selfish or entitled."

"It's your wedding! It's completely normal to want it to be a certain way, to want it to be perfect but sometimes it's just not possible. You said it yourself. Feisal's folks would lose their minds if you didn't have a big wedding."

"Is it time to go?" I interrupt. I don't want to continue this conversation, to dwell on those who chose not to celebrate my happiness. I don't want to be upset.

Surprisingly, there's no press outside the hotel that has, at the insistence of Ali and Aunt Rania, been my home for the past month. They did an excellent job of keeping me and Feisal apart, for the sake of the wedding night, as my soon to be brother in law ever so tactfully pointed out. The separation had been incredibly taxing, a lot more than I could ever have anticipated. All I want now is to see Feisal, to be held in his arms, so strong yet so gentle. I wonder what he decided to wear today. He doesn't know what I'm wearing, I made sure he wouldn't see my wedding robes. They're my own design, with wide decorative sleeves and a longer bisht. I'm very pleased with them, I think he will appreciate them too.

The town centre is packed. Crowds line the streets, some brave souls have even climbed onto the walls and roofs of Balliol and Trinity College (a feat I salute them for). When we pull up outside the Bodleian Library they erupt in cheers and applause. I can barely breathe, the noise is overwhelming.

"Someone's popular." Clare laughs as she helps me and my bisht out of the car.

"Stop it. I just want to get married in peace."

"Well, you're almost there, just need to cross the courtyard, get to the Convocation House and... oh! Who's that?" She nudges me and points to something in the distance. I look up. There's two men standing in the middle of the courtyard, one dressed in a smart black suit, the other in a uniform. I can't quite make out their faces.

"Ned!" The man in uniform shouts and the realisation hits me. 

"Frank!" I forget about my surroundings, about the white robes I'm wearing, I just run towards him. He grabs me, lifting me off the ground and spins me around.

"Look at you, all dressed up! The perfect little bride."

"Shut up!" I smack him on the shoulder. "What are you doing here?!"

"You really thought I would miss out on my favourite brother's wedding?! Will's here too." He literally passes me over to the other man. Will squeezes me in a rib-breaking hug.

"I thought you couldn't make it." I choke out, my eyes filling with tears.

"But I did. It's free food. How could I possibly say no to that?"

The sound I make is something between a sob and a laugh. I give Will another hug. 

"There, there." He pats me on the back. "Dry your eyes and let's get you married."

My "bridal party" is waiting in the anteroom. They look fabulous, the ladies in red gowns, the gentlemen with red ties or, in Siegfried's case, bright red Converse sneakers. This is it, I think as I watch them lining up to enter the Convocation House, this is ground zero. Time.

I find myself wedged between Frank and our father, our arms linked. I feel as though I'm in a tunnel, I can only see what's straight ahead: Arnie and Will's backs, the registrar looming in the distance. Then the bridal party moves aside and finally I see him. 

Feisal's face lights up the moment he notices me. His eyes on the other hand darken. I know that look, he gets it when I wear something he finds beautiful or tempting.

I can barely hear what's going on around me, just the faint sound of people moving around, taking their seats, my father's voice telling Feisal to look after me as he clasps our hands together. The mental tunnel in which I have found myself is starting to fog over.

"You look lovely." Feisal's voice pierces that fog. I look up at him, drinking in the brilliant smile, the soft dark hair and elegantly trimmed beard, the suit. It's perfectly cut, emphasising just how slender, how finely built he is.

"You look very dashing yourself."

The registrar raises a questioning eyebrow: are we ready? Yes, we are. So she begins her speech, the classic "we have gathered here today to celebrate the union of" affair. I feel a sudden pang of guilt; it's my own damned wedding and I can't even focus for a few minutes, my mind fogged with nerves, love and raw desire for this wonderful man at my side. He could have had anyone but out of all the men and women in the world he chose me.

"Thomas Edward, please repeat the following words after me." The sound of my full name startles me. I'm still not used to hearing it spoken so calmly, without the sense of impending punishment.

"Feisal, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage, as a token of my love and affection and as a symbol of our commitment to each other. I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Thomas Edward, do take thee, Feisal, to be my lawful wedded husband." I say my vows without any more prompting from the registrar. I've read and reread them so many times I know them by heart. Feisal does too. We don't exchange rings the way most couples do, instead he switches my engagement ring from my right hand to my left as is customary in his culture. I slide a simple silver band onto his finger. He doesn't know yet but I had the words "don't your highness me" engraved on the inside, the words that were the mantra of the first months of our relationship.

This is it. We are officially married. Feisal's eyes fill up with tears as the registrar makes the announcement, to him this must feel like a dream. He cups my face in his hands and presses his lips to mine, the kiss long but chaste; some things are meant just for us. The applause we get is deafening.

"Husband..." Feisal purrs, showering my hair and face with feverish kisses. We're finally alone, in a little sideroom by the Convocation House. The staff have arranged (per my request) a little resting space for us in here, complete with soft armchairs, tea and biscuits. Only we haven't been doing much resting. Feisal can't keep his hands off me and I... I don't want him to stop.

Except he does.

"I know it's not quite what you wanted..." He starts.

"Don't be silly! I never wanted anything else."

"But your family..."

"The ones who matter are here. Now hush. We have an hour before the reception and I could use some rest."


End file.
